“This post is sponsored by Kohl’s. I was paid for this post and received the included Carter’s clothingas compensation.”

Ella is almost 19 months
old and she is as active as ever! Her communication skills are
increasing by the day with new words, expressions, and her imagination
and play has really gone to the next level. She is pretty non stop on
the go but there is still ONE activity I can get her to sit down with me
and do, read. She loves pulling books off her shelf and bringing them
to me to read to her. I will often find her sitting under her bookshelf
going through the pages and reading to herself, and pointing to the
pictures.

Sorry for the lack of posts on the blog these days! I swear I have been starting every post with an apology lately. I have been very active on social media just not so much on this blog anymore. But I had to check in and share some pictures from the adorable baby shower some of my friends put together for me. It was such a sweet gesture, something I wasn’t expecting at all, and I was really touched by the whole thing. I didn't think second baby showers were a thing but I am actually really happy about because I have felt like this baby hasn’t had nearly as much attention or “celebration” as Ella had. We have just been so busy over here, too busy honestly, we are functioning at a rate that isn’t sustainable. At least not sustainable for good health! Haha It was just nice to take a minute and focus on him.

I did do a little vlog on the shower as well as an update on the baby if you want to watch that below. Vlogging has kind of taken over what blogging used to be for me. Video medium is something I really enjoy and I love having those memories saved in that way. Anyways, back to the shower, my friends out did themselves. They are the dynamic duo behind The Confetti Creative and they are the ones who helped me with Ella’s First Birthday. I say helped when really I just gave them the theme and they did everything else! Haha They have so much talent and if you are local you should really utilize them! They are the best of the best. I am kicking myself that I forgot to get a cute picture with them at the shower :( BAH. Oh well, they took some gorgeous shots of the set up before the party started so I wanted to share those!

Did you catch my Facebook Live video? It was my first time doing one! I made a little announcement about joining SeneGence and becoming a distributor. You have probably heard of their more known product LipSense! I have talked about LipSense before on my social media accounts – it has basically taken over the State of Utah the past year! Haha Anyways, about seven months ago my good friend Jalynn tried this lipstick, that supposedly lasts for up to 18 hours, and fell in love with it. She almost instantly signed up to become a distributor. She in turn introduced me to the lipstick, and I too fell in love with the product. I mean, this stuff legit has staying power! It isn’t going ANYWHERE.

That first night of trying LipSense I thought about joining Jalynn and becoming a distributor. I have always loved make up, and beauty products is something that I have shared on my social media accounts for years. Plus, I could get a discount of up to 50% OFF on the product! ;) BUT I hesitated. I had a lot going on; a nine month old, tons of other work and personal projects that were taking up all of my time. I had no more time to give to something else. So I tucked the idea away; good thing too, because shortly after I would realize I was pregnant with my second and would spend the next thirteen weeks throwing up multiple times a day! *That was a rough period for me* In the meantime, I loved all the LipSense I had got. While I was enjoying them, I did start to feel like my lips were drier than usual and that the color would flake off. You see, I have a serious issue with dry lips. Ever since moving to Utah this has been a big problem for me. NOTHING has significantly helped them. I have tried it all you guys, EVERYTHING, and YES I do hydrate! I am someone who will drink 60-100 oz of water a day pretty regularly. The climate here is just hard on my skin, and my lips suffer the most. I have just got used to being in a constant cycle of peeling dry lips. So anyways, while I LOVED the product, and wanted to wear it all the time, I felt like maybe my already dry lips weren’t a good match for this product that seemed to only be contributing to the problem. I also felt like some colors didn’t stick as well on my lips as others. Yet so many of my other friends didn’t seem to have these issues, so I just chalked it up to me just not being the best fit for LipSense. I would occasionally still wear the lipstick I had because I did love the colors and the staying power it still provided; but wasn’t sure I was going to get any more.

A few more months passed.

I wish I had done a little more research on the product before giving up on it the way I did. I mean, one of my best friend’s was killing it as a distributor and I didn’t even bother to ask her about it. What was I thinking? I wasn’t. Since I had so many friends selling and loving LipSense, I would see their posts, and I learned that there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using LipSense. There is a learning curve in how you apply it, and a lot of people will experience an exfoliation period when they first start using it. This exfoliation period sounded pretty familiar to what I had experienced.

So what is the exfoliation period? Before using LipSense you probably used some kind of chapstick; Burts Bees, Caramex, just regular lipsticks you buy from traditional stores - almost all of these lip products contain wax and even led. This wax makes your lips feel great, and provides relief when you have dried out lips. However the relief is temporary. These products often contain carnauba wax, which is the wax you use to protect your car from moisture to prevent rusting. It is creating a barrier for your car from the rain, and the same thing happens when you wear your chapstick; it creates a barrier from moisture coming to your lips. This is why you often find yourself needing to use chapstick multiple times, at least during the drier months because your lips aren’t actually being healed long term. So when you start using LipSense some people will experience some exfoliation or feel like their lips are getting drier or that their color is flaking off; and that is because the product is actually breaking down layers and layers of dead skin cells, wax and led build up. This exfoliation period is different for everyone, it all depends on what you used and how often you used it before you started LipSense. Some people can take up to 6 weeks to finally get through this process, so HANG IN THERE! I wish I had.

In my experience, I came in with already damaged lips, with years of using products like this in attempts to heal my lips. The cool thing is the more you use LipSense products, the healthier your lips will become - it is designed this way! This is what I love about SeneGence, they aren’t just great products but they are great FOR YOU. I think what ultimately sealed the deal for me was when my friend Jalynn even gave me a tube of their Lip Balm to get started on healing my lips before I started using LipSense more regularly again. You guys, it was shocking how fast this stuff helped. After only a few days my lips that were literally cracked and bleeding were totally normal – and normal is not something my lips usually are! It was incredible. By far the best lip product I have ever tried in regards to helping heal my dry lips. And this all happened in the dead of winter when they are usually at their worst! Often people will feel a slight tingle or sting when they apply LipSense, this is an indicator that your lips aren’t very hydrated or are damaged. The feeling goes away the second you put their gloss on. However, I am happy to say while before I always felt that sting, I don’t now! How amazing is that? My lips have never been better! When you have healthy skin, the LipSense color can molecularly bond evenly on that one layer of your lips which is going to maximize the staying power.

The only other con about LipSense besides needing to get through the exfoliation period, is that I have personally found you have to stay on top of putting the gloss on if you really want to get the full staying potential. The gloss is what seals the color and keeps your lip hydrated and if you don't put it on periodically throughout the day the color wont last as long. Even still, I have found your good for 4-5 hours, and that is just when the color could break down, the lip color is still completely smudge proof! So honestly, still a win in my book and better then any other lasting lip color out there! Now you may think this next part totally throws out my "honest" review, but really, if you know me and follow me on social media you know I have been using this stuff for almost a year now. I didn't just "jump" on this! The healing my lips have experienced through these products changed everything for me. Since all of this went down, I have decided to become a distributor. I will admit, I am slightly embarrassed to be a part of an MLM. Multi-Level Marketing + Direct Sales – These have become kind of “dirty” words to a lot of us! You have probably been added to many Facebook groups for LuLa Roe, Beach Body, Doterra, LipSense, etc. And you probably roll your eyes every once in a while when the cliché verbiage starts pouring out around these kinds of businesses - I know I have! I never thought in a million years I would join an MLM; but as I have been a part of online marketing for several years now, I have seen many of my friends and fellow colleagues do it right. And by right I mean support a product they actually use, love, and not shove it in your face like a sales person. While I hate sales, I don’t intend to “sell” it at all. LipSense SELLS ITSELF. I will be just another person you can pick some up from if you want to try it out. What it really boils down to for me is that I love the products this company produces. LipSense sold itself to me! I love wearing the lip color, and this is the best way to do it in my opinion.

So in honor of me getting started with this little venture, I am hosting a giveaway over on my Instagram! I don’t plan on posting too much about LipSense on my personal Instagram account, so you can head on over to the new one I created for it @Lip_Party or join my Facebook Group Page – Lip Party to stay on top of the colors I have in stock, discounts, giveaways and all kinds of fun that I am sure will go down! In celebration of my launch, I am offering FREE SHIPPING + NO SALES TAX for all orders made through Wednesday 1/25! So head on over to my Facebook group if you want to grab something or try LipSense for the first time!

“This
#HalftimeHero creation is brought to you by Farm Rich. All opinions expressed
are my own.”

It’s a good thing I have always loved watching Football, because my birthday has always landed on or during the weekend of the biggest football game of the year. Trevor very cleverly created a tradition of throwing me a “birthday party” that is really just game day football food with some cake. Honestly though, I love it. We always get together with a bunch of friends and all bring a ton of snacks, appetizers and eat ourselves sick. One of our favorite things to make, and the easiest thing, is some crock pot meat balls! Anything that I can easily throw in a crock pot, or the oven, with little to no prep is my kind of cooking when you have a bunch of food to make and want to spend time with your friends.

Farm Rich has a great selection of Meatballs and they are all Gluten Free for those who need to be aware of that! I used their Original Meatballs for this recipe but you can use their Italian if it suits what your making better. They even have some Turkey Meatballs if you are wanting to be a little more health conscious. The different meats and seasonings available create a base for a variety of ways you could take this recipe! There are several different ways you can cook these Meatballs but the way we like them is to get them in the crock pot, add whatever your favorite sauce is and let them cook away! If you have been reading my blog for a long time you know we like a little spice and always use some Jamaica Me Sweet Hot and Crazy Marinade. So take whatever sauce you want to use, and set your crock pot to HIGH, cover, and heat for 3-4 hours (full bag). Grab some tooth picks and let people serve themselves throughout the game! EASY PEASY!

While picking up the Meatballs I noticed a huge selection of Farm Rich snacks and appetizers! All great picks for a game day get together. I decided to grab some Mozzarella Sticks and Jalapeno Peppers - I mean, what doesn't scream football food more than that? haha Anything with cheese or cream cheese is a go in my book. They will be super easy to just pop in the oven and serve. When it comes to frozen foods it's comforting to know that Farm Rich is made with wholesome ingredients, are quick-frozen and carefully packaged. Check out their Game Day page for all the different options for your party prep!

In preparation for the big game Farm Rich wants to know what you favorite #HalftimeHero snack/appetizer is? Share your ideas via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest using the hashtag (via photos or text), and you will be entered for the chance to win year’s supply of Farm Rich snacks for all your game day needs. Good Luck and may the best team win! ;)

ALYCIA GRAYCE CROWLEY

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Alycia, and this blog has been such a fun space for me to share everything from the very meaningful, the mundane, and the frivolous stuff that falls inbetween. I guess you could say this is a digital journal of sorts! I believe that life should be enjoyed and celebrated, and invite you to join along in the party! ❤